According to the WSJ, US officials are increasingly concerned that the giant cranes used in virtually all major US ports, including several military ports, could provide a possible spying tool for Beijing. And this in public and hidden from everyone’s eyes.
According to the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), Beijing could use the cranes’ software to slow down port traffic. The cranes can provide remote access for anyone who wants to stop the flow of goods, Bill Evanina, a former senior US counterintelligence officer, told the WSJ.
AP/Ted S. Warren Cranes ship fully assembled
Compare with Trojan horse
But the cranes could also collect data and pass on information about cargo or, in the case of military ports, about military equipment being loaded or unloaded. The US has military operations or bases around the world, including in countries neighboring China.
National security and Pentagon officials compared Chinese manufacturer Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries’ ship-to-shore cranes — cranes that lift containers from ship to port and port to ship — to the WSJ. ZPMC) with a Trojan horse.
APA/AFP/Clement Mahoudeau cranes from the Chinese company ZMPC are assembled
Nearly 80% of ship-to-shore cranes in the US
ZPMC executives used to be welcomed with open arms in the US because the US doesn’t make any comparable cranes, according to the WSJ. According to ZPMC, it controls around 70% of the global crane market and has sold cranes in over 100 countries. The company manufactured nearly 80 percent of the ship-to-shore cranes used in the United States, according to US officials.
Giant cranes are usually shipped to the US already assembled and operated using Chinese-made software. In some cases, Chinese personnel are also provided for a two-year US assignment – according to the “WSJ”, this may also indicate intelligence gathering, i.e. spying activities.
AP/Ringo Chiu/Ringo Chiu The Long Beach Container Terminal at the Port of Long Beach, California
“Now we sell systems”
On closer examination, the technology used in the cranes, described as cheap and well made, was clearly suspect. According to the WSJ, they contain sophisticated sensors that can record and track the origin and destination of containers. This is precisely what has led to concerns that China could gather information about materials and goods being shipped in or out of the country.
ZPMC cranes hit the US market about two decades ago and were significantly less expensive than western suppliers. In recent years, ZPMC has become one of the leading global players in automated ports. The company is also working with Microsoft and other US companies in the technology and information processing sectors to connect its devices and analyze data in real time, according to the WSJ.
debate
In which direction is China developing?
“We used to sell devices, now we sell systems,” Hailiang Song, then president of ZPMC, said in a 2017 video on Microsoft’s website, according to the WSJ. In the video, then company president Qingfeng Huang added, “You can monitor all cranes through our main office in Shanghai” to help with troubleshooting.
Chinese Embassy: Driven by paranoia
According to the WSJ, neither ZPMC nor Microsoft responded to inquiries. However, the Chinese embassy in Washington said US fears about the cranes were a “paranoid” attempt to impede trade and economic cooperation with China. Playing the “China card” and spreading the “China threat theory” is irresponsible and will harm the US’s own interests, he said.
Portal/US Air Force Case involving alleged Chinese spy balloons is also straining relations with the United States
Recent tensions over alleged Chinese spy balloons over the US have cast an unexpected spotlight on the changing nature of spying. Also about how nations keep tabs on each other, beyond conventional intelligence-gathering tools like spies and satellites, according to the WSJ.
It’s not the first case
But this trend has been apparent for some time. In recent years, US security officials have pointed to several Chinese-made devices that could facilitate surveillance or disruption in the US. This included things like baggage sorting systems, but there were also broader concerns about China’s increasing policing of ports around the world. China manufactures nearly all of the world’s new containers and also tracks them through a shipping data service.
AP/Dake Kang Huawei Headquarters in Shenzhen
A new Huawei?
In the debate over Chinese cranes, observers are also reminded of the case of Chinese network provider and smartphone maker Huawei nearly four years ago. The cranes could be the new Huawei, according to former US security official Evanina to the WSJ. The US continues to justify the sanctions imposed at the time with Huawei’s links to Chinese authorities and warns of the danger of espionage and sabotage.
Among other things, the group’s access to the US Android operating system was cut, which weighed heavily on its smartphone business. How much the business has inevitably changed was shown at the end of February at the great mobile communications fair in Barcelona, where Huawei no longer presented any new smartphones.
Huawei firmly rejects the allegations. The telecom equipment provider has worked with over 1,500 network operators in over 170 countries and regions for over 30 years. “We have a proven track record in cybersecurity.” A discussion of network security is certainly warranted, but “an assessment based on country of origin” is “discriminatory,” the company said.
IMAGO/AAP/Lukas Coch Surveillance cameras from the Chinese company Hikvision in the Australian capital Canberra
Australia: Cameras from China are being dismantled
And outside the US, measures are also being taken against Chinese high-tech products in use. The most recent example is Australia. Authorities there want dozens of Chinese-made surveillance cameras removed from the offices of government politicians – on suspicion of spying, it was reported in mid-February.
The Australian Treasury Department confirmed at the time that some cameras had already been replaced as part of a broader security upgrade, with 40 more to be replaced by April, the department said. In recent years, representatives of Western countries have repeatedly warned about the danger of spying from Chinese-made cameras.
USA and Great Britain as precursors
According to official information, a total of 913 Chinese-made security cameras are installed in more than 250 Australian government buildings, including those of the Ministry of Defence. The cameras were made by Chinese companies Hikvision and Dahua, which are blacklisted in the US. The companies are accused of supporting the Chinese government in its crackdown on the Uighur Muslim minority in the Xinjiang region.
The US and UK have already taken action against the installation of Chinese-made cameras in government buildings. Both states expressed fears that Chinese companies could be forced to share information collected by the cameras with Beijing’s security services.
Last November, Washington banned imports of Hikvision and Dahua surveillance devices because they said they posed an “unacceptable risk to national security”. Hikvision said it was “categorically wrong” to portray the company as a “threat to national security”.